From Chisato Horiuchi in Tokyo, Japan
Huge IT approaching the opening of medical data Wave of change in health management and drug discovery
Black ships are rushing to medical care around the world. Huge IT (information technology) companies are collecting large amounts of data and dramatically changing the appearance of drug discovery and medical care. Practical use of familiar devices such as wristwatch-type terminals that can measure and record blood glucose levels at any time is approaching. Japan is in a state of isolation due to the delay in digitization of medical care and disparate standards. Even the protection of research resources and personal information is uncertain
Huge IT approaching the opening of medical data Wave of change in health management and drug discovery
Black ships are rushing to medical care around the world. Huge IT (information technology) companies are collecting large amounts of data and dramatically changing the appearance of drug discovery and medical care. Practical use of familiar devices such as wristwatch-type terminals that can measure and record blood glucose levels at any time is approaching. Japan is in a state of isolation due to the delay in digitization of medical care and disparate standards. It is about to become a digitally underdeveloped country where even the protection of research resources and personal information is uncertain.
"Integration of medical devices utilizing 5G" "New electronic medical record system" "Machine learning for basic research". Winter 2021. The annual event of Amazon Web Services (AWS) held in Las Vegas, USA. The announcement in the healthcare field attracted a lot of attention.
In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) is aiming for efficiency on AWS. The number of users of the online patient information management service "NHS Login" has increased about seven times in 20 years when the new coronavirus was prevalent. The development of a chatbot for making reservations and asking questions about breast cancer screening has produced results such as a 13% increase in the consultation rate. Nicky Murphy, who is in charge of AWS Europe, Middle East and Africa, is proud to say, "We will accelerate innovation and use the cloud to push it to the next level faster."
Other IT giants reach out to the medical field to hit the avalanche. Apple Inc. plans to sell a model that supports blood glucose measurement with the watch-type terminal "Apple Watch". It is expected to be applied not only to daily health management but also to clinical application within 2 to 3 years. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, will also introduce a wearable terminal of Fitbit, which can measure heart rate, sleep, oxygen saturation, etc.
Shotaro Kinoshita, a specially appointed assistant professor at Keio University, hopes that "if time-series health data can be obtained, it will be useful for treatment and prevention. In the future, it may be possible to obtain data close to that of medical devices." Alan Cartique Salingham, research leader in Google's health division, is confident in innovation, saying, "We can contribute in all areas."
Healthcare is an old industry with a lot of room for efficiency, so there is room for growth. According to British research firm Evaluate, the market size of digital medical care that utilizes data will be 400 billion dollars (about 46 trillion yen) in 2017. With the entry of giant tech, it is expected to grow to $ 600 billion in 2012. Professor Yasushi Okuno of Kyoto University says, "A tech company that excels in collecting data and improving efficiency will become a powerful platformer in the medical world."
In November 2009, Google announced that it would embark on drug discovery utilizing artificial intelligence (AI). Until now, new drug development has required a period of approximately 10 years and an investment of 100 billion yen. The success rate is about 1 / 30,000. "The conventional drug discovery model is on the verge of being at the limit and questioning continuity" (Toru Kimura, Chief Scientific Officer, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma)
Reviewing inefficient drug discovery is a requirement of the times. The average per capita medical cost of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries is expected to increase from 8.8% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018 to 10.2% in 2018. Pressure to reduce drug prices will increase in each country.
From daily health management to the sophistication of medical systems and the development of cutting-edge pharmaceuticals, the wave of the data revolution spreads rapidly around the world. The problem is that social consensus building on privacy protection and the handling of data, which is a source of added value, is unlikely to catch up with the speed of innovation.
In the UK, criticism that "information was obtained without consent" erupted that Deep Mind, an Alphabet company, had collected a large amount of patient health records. It is said that there was a problem with information management with a mobile application developed under a contract with a prestigious Royal Free Hospital.
In Japan, a chilly spectacle spreads that is far from being delayed. Even basic data such as medical records and medication information called PHR (Personal Health Record) are not unified. The standards for electronic medical records are also different, and the system is different for each hospital. Advanced technologies such as wearable terminals are also preceded by rigid institutional theories such as regulatory approval as medical devices, and the momentum for practical application is scarce compared to overseas.
If huge platformers advance and electronic medical records are standardized, patients will be able to easily receive high-quality services. On the other hand, if the preparations remain weak, there is a risk that medical data, which is the source of industrial competitiveness as the ultimate personal information, will be occupied by foreigners. It could also lead to a vicious circle in which domestic companies and universities are behind in medical research and development.
Professor Okuno of Kyoto University explains, "It is important to have a mechanism to restrict the export of medical data to other countries." Flexible measures will be tried to avoid the disadvantages of the people while opening the country to maximize the benefits of digital medical care.
Utilization of medical data is not the sole domain of US giant digital companies such as Google and Apple. Notable is China, which has a population of 1.4 billion. For example, in the field of AI, where the amount of data is important, the quality and quantity of research and the scale of human resources have already surpassed that of the United States and are growing rapidly. An increasing number of companies are embarking on disease diagnostic devices and drug discovery.
Ping An Insurance Group, a major insurance company with more than 300 million customers, has established a joint venture "Ping An Shionogi" with Shionogi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. to develop health management apps and start AI drug discovery. Show motivation to build a new medical platform in Asia. Tatsumori Yoshida, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ping An Shionogi, said, "China's willingness to develop and sense of speed far surpasses that of Japan. In 2030, healthcare will be an era in which Europe, the United States and China compete for supremacy."
China has a strong political system and has a social background that makes it easy to collect data from the people and promote data-based governance. Even in response to the pandemic of the new coronavirus (a global epidemic), the sword was peeked out. It was one of the first to implement an infected person tracking app, online medical care, etc., and once succeeded in strict containment of the epidemic.
In China, the Personal Information Protection Law was enacted in November 2009. It was mandatory to obtain the consent of the patient to collect medical information. The reality is that the government and companies are united in the enclosure, and the aim of preventing data from being taken out by foreign companies can be seen through.
(Advanced medical editor Rinshi Takada)
■ PHR (Personal Health Record) A record of personal information related to health, medical care, long-term care, etc. Includes blood pressure, weight, pre-existing illness, medication history, etc. In Europe and the United States, it is stored as electronic data so that hospitals, doctors, and patients can check it at any time.
In Japan, individuals, medical institutions, governments, companies, etc. have stored and accumulated information separately. It is mainly used in paper media such as "medicine notebook" and "mother and child notebook", and there are many cases where it is not digitized. Even if it is digitized individually, the specifications are different and it may be difficult to utilize the data. Since there is no certification or certification system that is endorsed by public institutions, "there is a risk of being disadvantageous to individuals" (Yuto Noro, a lawyer who is familiar with medical data).
